James McIngvale's Runhappy (Super Saver), champion sprinter of 2015, breezed six furlongs in 1:14.40 under regular rider Edgar Prado at Churchill Downs Thursday in another step towards his expected 4-year-old debut in the GIII Ack Ack H. in Louisville Oct. 1. The colt worked from the starting gate, departing at the quarter-pole and completing his breeze at the half-mile pole on the backstretch. Churchill clockers timed Runhappy in fractions of :26, :37.80, :48.40 and 1:01.80.
“I was happy with him,” said trainer Laura Wohlers. “He broke fairly well but then he ducked in. [The gate] was in kind of a weird place and I think that may have cost him a couple of seconds but I think that he was just nice and relaxed and that was key. I think that he galloped out really well and looked strong around the turn.”
Prado added, “There was a big gap between the gate and the rail. The main thing was to get him to finish strong. He's going a mile for the first time and we know that he's fast and we want to use what's there. We were trying to get him to relax and slowly pick them up. Today the gallop out was real good.”
Wohlers noted that Runhappy–who is stabled at Lexington's Thoroughbred Training Center–could work once more at Keeneland before the Ack Ack. If all goes according to plan, the bay will compete in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Santa Anita Nov. 4.
“Probably Keeneland,” Wohlers said when asked about plans for Runhappy's next drill. “The turns are so tight at the Training Center. We're so close to Keeneland and they let us go over there whenever we want, so we'll take a look at the gallop out today once we get the numbers off our heart rate pad.”
Given some time off at a farm near Austin, Texas following his win in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint last November, Runhappy's 2016 debut was originally expected to come in the GI Metropolitan H. at Belmont June 11. He could not make that race, however, after he developed a bone bruise on his right front cannon bone.
“Bone bruising is normal in racehorses, in general,” Wohlers commented. “So we have to give him time and we don't do drugs or inject joints so we got to give him plenty of time. I think he enjoyed his time off. We let him grow up a little bit, and he's bigger and stronger this year.”
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